4th Teen Gets Prison In Michigan State Student's Death
ANN ARBOR (WWJ/AP) - A fourth teen from Saline charged in connection with the 2014 death of a Michigan State University student is heading to prison for 3 to 15 years.
Eighteen-year-old Christopher Foley learned his punishment Thursday after earlier pleading no contest to conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Foley wrote a statement of remorse, saying he feels "terrible about what happened."
Authorities say Foley, then 16, helped plan the robbery that led to the killing of 19-year-old Dustyn Frolka of Owosso. He was not there, however, when the crime was carried out.
Three other young people -- Tyrel Bredernitz, Samantha Grigg and Brendan Heim -- have been sentenced for their roles in the case.
Frolka was beaten and robbed before he jumped from an SUV on I-69 in Bath Township. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Prosecutors have said illegal drug money was a motive for the robbery.
Grigg testified in Clinton County Circuit Court that she, Bredernitz and Heim traveled to East Lansing with plans to beat up and rob Frolka, although she didn't say how they knew him. Grigg told the court that she drove Frolka to several ATMs before the others started beating him.
Bredernitz recounted the incident through yes or no questions asked by his lawyer, saying he was in the front seat of the SUV driven by Grigg. Heim, who was 16 at the time, admitted he beat Frolka with brass knuckles while the two were in the back seat.
At some point, Frolka opened the door and either fell or jumped out of the SUV, which was going between 45 and 60 MPH, Grigg testified. She said she pulled over and Heim and Bredernitz got out of the vehicle and took clothing and money from Frolka. He was left to die on the side of the road as the trio sped away in the SUV.
Frolka was a talented rapper but "had been on kind of a downward spiral" for months prior to his death, according to fellow hip-hop musician Blake Selby. Selby told reporters that he signed Frolka to the Lansing-based label he runs, though they later parted ways.
MSU police arrested Frolka for cocaine possession on Jan. 31, according to court records. He was then kicked out of his dorm because of actions that were deemed a threat to the safety of other residents, the university said.
According to Frolka's Twitter page, the student mentioned drug use in the hours before his death, tweeting "I've never done DMT and tonight is about to change s***." DMT acts as an intense hallucinogenic drug when ingested.
TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
